Environmental Protection Agency pulls coal mine permit

The Obama administration Thursday reversed a Bush-era decision and blocked a bid to build one of the largest mountaintop removal coal mines in Appalachian history.

For the first time, the Environmental Protection Agency is revoking a permit already issued, taking back its approval for Arch Coal’s Spruce No.1 mine in southern West Virginia. EPA said the mine would cause unacceptable damage to local waterways and public health.

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POLITICO 44

EPA’s decision is a major victory for environmental groups, who have fought against the mine since it was proposed more than a decade and cements agency administrator Lisa Jackson’s status as their environmental hero. The George W. Bush administration had approved the Clean Water Act permit in 2007.

“In sharp contrast to the previous administration’s policies on mountaintop removal coal mining, EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson is showing a strong commitment to the law, the science and the principles of environmental justice,” Sierra Club executive director Michael Brune said today. “She deserves enormous credit for changing policies to protect Appalachia’s health, land and water.”

But EPA’s critics are vowing to battle the decision in the courts, Congress and the White House.

Joe Manchin, West Virginia’s new Democratic senator, vowed Thursday to do everything in his power to block EPA’s move, calling it a “shocking display of overreach.”

The industry is launching an all-out assault on the agency as well. Arch Coal, which needs the permit to discharge rock waste it generates while mining, says EPA lacks the authority to retract the permit and is fighting the agency in federal court. And a coalition of groups ranging from the National Mining Association to the Farm Bureau wrote to White House Council on Environmental Quality chief Nancy Sutley Wednesday asking her to overrule EPA.

The veto is the latest step in EPA’s crackdown on water pollution from mountaintop removal mining. The agency in 2008 blocked the Army Corps of Engineers from issuing nearly 80 permits for proposed Appalachian mines – saying they needed additional review to comply with the Clean Water Act – and in April, the agency introduced a new, tougher standard for obtaining permits.

The crackdown has been tremendously controversial in Appalachia, where the coal industry wields considerable political and economic clout.

Regional candidates from both parties across the region blasted the agency on the campaign trail, and Republicans picked up a handful of House seats – and nearly knocked off heavy favorite Manchin in a special Senate election – in part by tying Democrats to what they described as the Obama administration’s “anti-coal” agenda.

EPA insists it is not cracking down on coal, it is just enforcing Clean Water Act standards that the previous administration neglected.

“Coal and coal mining are part of our nation’s energy future,” EPA Assistant Administrator for Water Peter Silva said today. “We have a responsibility under the law to protect water quality and safeguard the people who rely on clean water.”

This is yet another step in the left's well-thought out, and well planned, strategy to rachet the cost of energy in this country up to the "skyrocket" level that they wish. They are completely obsessed with the idea of fossil fuels "destroying" the planet through man-made global warming. Of course the environmental lobby is egged on by business interests in the wind, solar, and carbon-trading industries. These "entrepreneurs" know that their businesses make no economic sense provided the cost of fossil fuel energy remains inexpensive. They are then aided by a naive media that sees "big oil" as the incarnation of the devil himself, but fails to see the big business cabal that is backing "alternative" energy. This move is designed to directly increase the price of coal, which in turn increases the price of electricity in areas that are served by coal-fired plants. At the same time, as the input price is forced up, they intend to raise the output price even more through the regulation of the phony pollutant carbon dioxide. The EPA is well aware they can tie up this project in the courts for years and ultimately it will become too expensive for the mining company to even pursue it. With four years of liberals at the EPA, a President that endorses the plan, and a Congress that likely does not have the guts to take on the EPA, the damage to our energy and economy by 2012 is irreversible. If you do not believe this to be true, just come down and visit the Gulf coast. Thanks to the "temporary" ban on drilling, the energy industry and jobs related here have been devestated. Now they intend to bring what they have done to the oil country to the coal country as well.

My problem with this is that a company went through the proper channels and get its permits and invested lost of money to do so and then had the rug pulled from underneath them. Why would a company want to invest in something if the know the rules can change midstream? How does this encourage investments in large, complicated, and lengthy projects.

The price of energy must include or at least consider all the costs that that energy source imposes on the economy. Coal may be cheap to dig in this manner but ruinng the water supply for WV and all those downstream are a cost and it must be added. Burning coal creates other air, ground and water contamination and is a cost to the environment -a valuable asset to say the least. If we all went about trashing our neighbor's assets just so we could make a buck there would be no net economic value to any of us. The day of the energy people having a special dispensation to trash our country and its economy is over. The EPA is finally doing its job.

This is yet another step in the left's well-thought out, and well planned, strategy to rachet the cost of energy in this country up to the "skyrocket" level that they wish.

What a ridiculous notion. You've obviously never driven through the mountains and seen the inherent beauty. And if you have, then you don't have eyes to see. The process of Mountaintop Removal makes it easy to get coal, but it sends its debris downstream and poisons habitats and waterways in the valley. On top of that, no pun intended, it REMOVES MOUNTAINTOPS! I defy you to drive the Blue Ridge Parkway and tell me you'd rather it disappear than explore alternative fuels.

The price of energy must include or at least consider all the costs that that energy source imposes on the economy. Coal may be cheap to dig in this manner but ruinng the water supply for WV and all those downstream are a cost and it must be added. Burning coal creates other air, ground and water contamination and is a cost to the environment -a valuable asset to say the least

I am guessing you dont live anywhere near the area. coal is west Virginia! we have been doing it for a long time, things change from your obvious Idea of 1920-1960 coal operations. The companies have strived, with very little help from the EPA, to "clean" itself up. a lot of ex-coal areas are now Fantastic recreational areas. In Ohio (owned by AEP) the "stripmines" are some of the best hunting and fishing areas around. The Rail Trail in southren West Virginia is ranked only second to MOAB for the best trail, horseback, motorcycle and ATV area in the U.S., But coal is cheap, so it must be dirty..right? Not really it is about as clean as anything except Nuclear (whih is by far cleaner than all other "established" fuels, But that does not matter.... it is COAL, so it must be bad!

The price of energy must include or at least consider all the costs that that energy source imposes on the economy. Coal may be cheap to dig in this manner but ruinng the water supply for WV and all those downstream are a cost and it must be added. Burning coal creates other air, ground and water contamination and is a cost to the environment -a valuable asset to say the least

I am guessing you dont live anywhere near the area. coal is west Virginia! we have been doing it for a long time, things change from your obvious Idea of 1920-1960 coal operations. The companies have strived, with very little help from the EPA, to "clean" itself up. a lot of ex-coal areas are now Fantastic recreational areas. In Ohio (owned by AEP) the "stripmines" are some of the best hunting and fishing areas around. The Rail Trail in southren West Virginia is ranked only second to MOAB for the best trail, horseback, motorcycle and ATV area in the U.S., But coal is cheap, so it must be dirty..right? Not really it is about as clean as anything except Nuclear (whih is by far cleaner than all other "established" fuels, But that does not matter.... it is COAL, so it must be bad!

diehard dem: Jan. 13, 2011 - 12:50 PM EST The price of energy must include or at least consider all the costs that that energy source imposes on the economy. Coal may be cheap to dig in this manner but ruinng the water supply for WV and all those downstream are a cost and it must be added. Burning coal creates other air, ground and water contamination and is a cost to the environment -a valuable asset to say the least

I am guessing you dont live anywhere near the area. coal is west Virginia! we have been doing it for a long time, things change from your obvious Idea of 1920-1960 coal operations. The companies have strived, with very little help from the EPA, to "clean" itself up. a lot of ex-coal areas are now Fantastic recreational areas. In Ohio (owned by AEP) the "stripmines" are some of the best hunting and fishing areas around. The Rail Trail in southren West Virginia is ranked only second to MOAB for the best trail, horseback, motorcycle and ATV area in the U.S., But coal is cheap, so it must be dirty..right? Not really it is about as clean as anything except Nuclear (whih is by far cleaner than all other "established" fuels, But that does not matter.... it is COAL, so it must be bad!

Joe Manchin, West Virginia’s new Democratic senator, vowed Thursday to do everything in his power to block EPA’s move, calling it a “shocking display of overreach.”

Joe, did you seriously expect anything different from this entire administration? Each one of the bureaucratic leaders are making their own rules and regulations. They have just blatantly made the Congress an irrelevant branch of the triangle government - and they are accountable to no one but the POTUS.

The quickest way to fight the bureaucrats is to defund them. You let this one side, you allow the complete destruction of our unique government. Then rebuild the WORTHY agencies. There is NO need to have over 300 different Federal agencies - the exact number is a highly classified secret, with not even Congress critters given the true number.

Time for Joe and all the other so-called patriots to take a real stand and demand the closure of the EPA along with all their regulations. Between the various EPA leaders over the years, they have destroyed our manufacturing base, our energy base and are responsible for allowing the Big Chemical, gmo Monsanto/duPont and Big Pharma to continue polluting our waterways, air and land.

(Reuters) - U.S. jobless claims jumped to their highest level since October last week while food and energy costs lifted producer prices in December, pointing to headwinds for an economy that has shown fresh vigor.

Reuters is a well known liberal news source so the facts must be worse